Obama library battle: Chicago vs. Hawaii

Dec. 26, 2012
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President Obama / Charles Dharapak, AP

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

by David Jackson, USA TODAY

The battle is on for part of President Obama's legacy: The presidential library.

The University of Chicago and the University of Hawaii -- schools from Obama's home city and his birth state -- have expressed interest in hosting the library that will hold records from President Obama's administration.

Every president since Herbert Hoover has sponsored a library; the George W. Bush library is scheduled to be dedicated next year in Dallas.

"The University of Hawaii, where the president's parents attended school, has made no secret of its campaign to lure the library to Honolulu. The Hawaii Legislature passed a resolution calling on Obama to choose the state for the library and a committee of government and civic leaders has been put in place to lobby for it.

"The (University of Chicago), where Obama was a member of the law school faculty for 12 years, is widely considered the front-runner, though university officials have been tight-lipped about its efforts. However, officials at the National Archives and Records Administration, which administers 13 presidential libraries, confirmed that the U. of C. has expressed interest.

"A U. of C. spokesman raised the possibility that a presidential library could be built off campus ...

"Wherever it lands, it won't come cheap. (Bill) Clinton's library cost $165 million. The George W. Bush Foundation raised more than $300 million for his. A law passed by Congress in 2008 requires each president's foundation, which raises private money to build the library, to place 60 percent of the cost of the library in an endowment to offset the government's operating and maintenance costs once it opens.

"The cost of Obama's library could spiral to $500 million, depending on how elaborate it is, library experts say."